The Day Before
by CeiroJaing
Summary: How did James and Lily Potter live their last day alive? A long one-shot about the Potter family and their last day as a family.(The Marauders are included in this, and there's a brief mention of Wolfstar.)


Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me in any way, shape or form. That privilege goes to the amazing J.K Rowling.

A/N: This is my first fanfiction, so I'm not sure how to do intros?

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Green eyes opened slowly, blinking through delicate lashes as small pudgy hands automatically reached up. A muffled thunk suddenly echoed through the room as the cradle rocked suddenly. Harry, startled and confused, let out a small whimper at the sudden movement. Before he could do much else, a figure popped up and put one hand on the side of the cradle, the other rubbing the throbbing bump on his head gently. Grinning sheepishly, James reached out the hand holding onto the cradle and stroked Harry's face gently.

"Morning Harry. Sorry I bumped your cradle."

Being too young to properly grasp the concept of apologies, Harry cooed and grabbed his father's hand, taking it and biting the fingers.

James chuckled gently, scooping him up and walking out of the room. The two made their way across the hallway and entered a room with a giant bed. Underneath the blankets lay a figure sleeping peacefully, her red hair spilling like fire onto the pillows. James hoisted Harry up a bit higher and put his finger to his lips, winking at the infant. Behind the man's brown eyes, mischief sparkled in the early morning light. He quietly snuck across the room until he stood right beside the sleeping figure. Holding Harry more securely, he leaped as high as he could onto the bed, the force of his impact launching the figure a couple centimeters into the air and effectively waking her up with a shriek. Lily scrambled upright, pushing a hand through her bed head as she scrambled for her wand.

"What? Whats happening? Who do I need to kill?" Green eyes looked around wildly before locking onto the hysterically laughing figure beside her, baby Harry having been let down gently as he doubled over.

"James!" Lily shrieked angrily, "Stop doing that! I thought you matured!"

James looked up, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Sorry love, it's just so fun to see your reaction," Lily growled and grabbed her wand.

"I'm going to petrify you and hang you up by your feet Potter!" James, realizing the sudden danger of the situation, scooped up Harry and made a run for it. The two pranksters ran through the house with Lily shrieking bloody murder. The impromptu game of cat and mouse continued on throughout the entire house until James, having shaken Lily off his tail, scurried to his safe place.

"Come on Harry, we can hide in here!" James whispered to the baby in his arms, and crawled into the cupboard under the stairs. The two listened to Lily's footsteps as she ran around looking for them. When the footsteps ceased after a few more minutes, James deemed it safe enough to come out and cautiously opened the door of the cupboard. He looked around nervously and took a step onto the floor. Immediately, the paralyzing spell carefully laid onto the floorboards activated and trapped James where he stood. Lily stepped out of her hiding place with a triumphant smile and carefully picked up Harry.

"It's my win, James." Lily flicked her wand, and floated James outside to the oak tree. Once outside, Lily took some twine out of her pockets and tied his feet together with one hand. Flipping him upside down, and setting Harry beside his head, she climbed up the oak tree and bound his feet to the thickest branch she could find. Climbing back down to the ground, she winked at him teasingly and picked up Harry.

"The full body petrify will wear off in a minute James~" she sung as she walked back inside.

It was five minutes later by the time Lily let James down from the tree. The poor man had to lay on the ground for a few minutes as the blood rushed back to the right places and he got used to the change in perspective. When he had gotten all his blood back into the right places, the man sat up and rubbed his feet, getting some feeling back into his toes. James sulked as he got up and started walking, a slightly snickering Lily by his side.

"Isn't she so unfair?" he whined to baby Harry, who was in his arms.

He pouted toward Lily, who shrugged.

"Oh please. You deserved it James." James huffed with a hand to his chest.

"But Lily~ it's good experience for Harry when he grows up!" James whined and held him up for Lily to see. Harry blinked and yawned cutely, making both adults melt internally. Snapping out of her cuteness induced revery, she glared at James menacingly.

"Harry will not indulge in those irresponsible and immature activities if I have anything to say about it!" Shivering, he backed up a few steps and held Harry closer to his chest.

"Sorry, Lily. It's won't happen again" he said meekly. Since his school years in Hogwarts, the brown-haired man's behavior had settled down a lot. James grinned down at the child in his arms.

"I wonder if someday you'll follow in my footsteps too." His expression darkened suddenly and he sighed, "But I guess I won't find out, huh? Not until Voldemort has been defeated."

Lily gripped James's arm firmly.

"We will make it through James, we have to. For Harry. For everyone we love." James nodded at her as they stepped into their house.

\- time skip brought to you by the blood rushing to James's face -

Harry watched his parents from his baby seat as they danced around in the kitchen preparing breakfast. James was mostly hovering, trying to figure out if he could help while the ever indomitable Lily dodged around him and skillfully prepared breakfast.

"James dear," Lily said, laying a hand on his shoulder, "while I very much appreciate your noble notion of helping, it doesn't help anyone if you just stand and gawk in the middle of the kitchen floor." Lily made a shooing motion with her hand, the other one grabbing the handle of a pan and perfectly flipping the pancake on it.

"B-but Lily, I want to help." James weakly protested, raising his hands feebly. Lily smiled and laughed lightly.

"Why don't you go set the table and keep an eye on Harry instead." She ruffled his hair affectionately and turned back to her pancakes. As James made his way to the cabinets holding the dishes, Harry blinked. He was hungry. The tiny toddler opened his mouth wide, and abruptly started to cry loudly.

"James!" Lily yelled, "I told you to keep an eye on him! What did you do?!" James practically ran into the kitchen, holding a small stack of plates with one hand and balancing three cups of baby food with the other. As he approached the dining table, he spotted his wand lying forgotten on the counter. His brown eyes glinted and he somehow managed to push up his glasses with his elbow. In a move somewhat resembling a ninja wizard, he tossed the small stack of dishes up and grabbed his wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" with a swish and flick of his wand, the dishes stopped their plummet to the ground and hovered above the table. James smiled, proud of himself. At least, until the hungry cries of Harry interrupted his brief moment of triumph.

"James!" Lily yelled again.

"I'm going Lily, I'm going!" James quickly set down the dishes and jars of baby food onto the table, snatching a spoon from a bowl and uncapping a jar mashed up bananas. Seeing the food and his frantic father in front of him, Harry stopped crying and sniffled once, reaching towards the food with his little baby arms. James smiled, relieved.

"Hungry, huh?" James scooped up a spoonful of banana with his spoon and made a whooshing noise. "Here comes the broomstick!" Harry giggled and opened his mouth, swallowing the baby food. James chuckled softly.

"My little Marauder. Already following in his dad's footsteps." He ruffled Harry's soft baby hair and scooped up another spoonful of yellow mush. As he fed it to the giggling baby, Lily walked out from the kitchen carrying two full plates. Setting them down on the table, she placed an affectionate kiss on James' mop of disheveled black hair.

"Thank you for feeding Harry, James." James looked up at her and grinned.

"My pleasure, love." The two exchanged a brief kiss before James got up from his kneeling position and took Lily by the hand. "Shall we break our fast, my dear?" Lily smiled and walked with him to the table.

"We shall, my love." The two seated themselves on opposite ends of the small table, digging into the steaming pile of eggs, bacon and pancakes.

James snatched up the bottle of maple syrup and drizzled it onto his pancakes. Cutting up his pancakes quickly, he fed Harry with one hand as he ate his breakfast, amicably chatting with Lily. Harry blinked up at his parents as they ate, seeing the way James smiled at Lily when he thought she wasn't looking, and the way Lily blushed when he took her hand across the table. Trying to divert their attention, Lily snapped her fingers suddenly, making James look up as he fed Harry some carrot mush.

"James! I almost forgot but the rest of the Marauders are coming over tonight! We should start getting ready after breakfast." James took his hand off her, which relieved Lily (she was too old to be blushing like a schoolgirl!) and ate a piece of sausage.

"You're right." he looked up at her through his glasses, "We already bought the decorations, so we just need to set them up and clean the house." Lily nodded.

"While I clean these dishes, James," she gestured at their plates, "would you be so kind as to go out and rake the lawn? The leaves are gathering again." James pouted and grabbed Harry's hand, making the baby look at him curiously.

"If I'm going out into the cold, may I take Harry? My lovely, precious son?" he batted his eyelashes at Lily, making her laugh, then sober up.

"James, you know that I worry about Harry catching a cold outside." James pouted even more and scooped Harry up.

"But Harry wants to go with me too!" James cooed at Harry and bopped his nose. "Don't you, Harry? Who wants to go with his daddy?" Harry giggled and grabbed James' finger, batting at his father's face. Across the table, Lily let out a sigh of defeat, pointing her fork at him half-jokingly.

"Fine. I'll let him go with you. But!" At James' whoop she raised her fork a little, "He needs to bundle up. I'm talking sweating, okay?" James nodded enthusiastically, quickly finishing his plate and feeding Harry his last few bites of mush.

"Come on, Harry! Let's go play with the leaves!" Harry cooed and waved a little to Lily as she left.

"Buh!" Lily cooed at Harry, waving back.

"Bye bye love." She blew a kiss at the two of them, making James reach out and catch it, before stuffing into his pocket and winking. Lily laughed and stood up, gathering the plates on the table and stacking them. "Have fun boys!" James spun backward and made a finger gun.

"You know it!" he turned back around and went up the stairs two at a time, Harry squealing excitedly at the speed. Once they were upstairs, James set Harry in the crib and dug around in the drawers of the nursery, producing a small baby coat proudly. "Found it!" James tossed the coat on top of the cradle and moved up a drawer, pulling out a small long-sleeved shirt and pants. Holding the clothing, he approached the cradle.

"Let's get you changed, shall we?" Harry, seeming to understand, reached up with his arms and let James change him out of his onesie into his winter clothing, cooing as he moved around in his new clothes. James cooed as he watched his baby walk around in his crib. He set his son onto the floor and opened the door. "Let's go, Harry, I'll grab your coat for you."

"Gah!" Harry waddled over to the door and looked back at the top of the stairs. "Dah buh!" James chuckled, coming out of the nursery with Harry's little coat.

"Yes yes, I'm coming Harry." the two slowly made their way down the stairs, James being careful to be within catching range if Harry fell. At the foot of the stairs, Harry made his way to the front door and looked at the oak doors, glancing back at James and pointing to the doors as if to say 'this should be open' James smiled, opening the door of the closet and grabbing one of his coats.

"Now hold on a sec, Harry, got to make sure we don't catch a cold now." He quickly put on his coat and helped Harry with his, getting his baby arms through the right holes. When Harry's coat was buttoned up and snug, James zipped up his coat and opened the front door, shivering slightly at the chill.

"Ooh, it's cold. Not even winter yet, too!" Keeping an eye on the curious toddler, James crunched through the leaves to the small wooden shed and grabbed the rake, grabbing Harry's hand to steer him away from the fence gate. Ensuring that the toddler was safe, James started raking the lawn. As he worked however, he suddenly stood up straight and facepalmed, muttering to himself.

"I can use magic for this! Why didn't I think of this? I've been living with Lily too long." Looking around to make sure there was no audience, James pulled out his wand (where was he keeping it?) and muttered a spell under his breath. The rake suddenly floated from his hand and began to merrily sweep it's way along the yard. James grinned proudly and walked over to Harry, who was playing with some sticks and leaves.

"Watcha doin' there Harry?" Harry looked up and gestured to the small shapes he had made.

"Ga buh! A dah ta!" James nodded and sat down beside him. "Can I play?" Harry grinned and nodded. The two guys played outside happily until Lily poked her head out.

"James? Can you come inside and help me put out the decorations please?" James looked up from the small teepee he was constructing out of sticks.

"Sure, sweetie!" James stood up, brushing the leaves off his pants. "Come on Harry, It's time to go inside." As he picked up Harry, he snapped his fingers at the rake. Immediately, it stopped working and floated over to him, falling into James' outstretched hand.

Going inside, the two went up to Lily, who was sitting on the floor of the living room, surrounded by festive Halloween decorations. The witch was muttering to herself and gesturing around at the decorations. James kissed Lily's head before placing Harry on her lap and sitting himself down next to her.

"How can I help?" Lily smiled at him and cuddled Harry close.

"I'm glad you asked." The preparations for the small party lasted for three hours, until Lily suddenly remembered she needed to prepare dinner and left Harry to James, the house wonderfully decorated. (Being a witch and wizard had its merits.) James looked at Harry and shrugged.

"I think Lily might murder us if we set foot into the kitchen again, so why don't we just play games to pass the time?" Harry grinned and tugged on his pant leg excitedly.

"Games!" James grinned back and led them upstairs to the nursery, where the boardgames were located. The two Potter's gaming spree lasted until the doorbell rang loudly. The sudden noise made James get up and hurry downstairs to the front door.

"Coming!" he yelled. Opening the door, James smiled widely. "Moony! It's good to see you!" Remus grinned back happily and hugged his old friend.

"It's good to see you too Prongs. How's Lily and Harry?" behind James' legs, bright green eyes peeked out, followed by the chubby baby face of Harry Potter, whose lips split into a grin at the sight of the man at the door.

"Unk Moony!" the toddler came out from behind his father and made grabbing motions to indicate wanting to be picked up. Remus smiled wide and scooped up Harry, twirling him around once.

"Prongslet! How is my little nephew today?" Harry giggled as Remus tapped his nose playfully.

"Moony!" Remus cuddled Harry a little and smiled at him. Suddenly though, Remus straightened up and snapped his fingers.

"I almost forgot!" the werewolf shifted Harry to his left arm and pulled a brown package out of his coat pocket. "Here you go James, it's a present for Harry's first official Halloween," James smiled gratefully and took the package, letting Remus inside as he did.

"Thanks Moony." James looked up at Remus as he took off his coat. "Should I unwrap it now, or?" Remus shook his head, grabbing Harry's hand and clapping James on the shoulder.

"Later, Prongs, later. Wait for the others to get here first." James nodded sheepishly and placed the package onto the dining table while Remus listened to Harry rattling of a series of incomprehensible words, nodding wisely. James snorted at the odd scene, and walked into the kitchen. A few minutes later, James was followed by Harry and Remus, who thought he should say hello to Lily properly.

"Good evening Lily! Oh, let me help you with that." Remus strode forward, letting Harry's hand go, and helped Lily cut the tomatoes, quickly reaching into the drawers and taking out a kitchen knife. Behind the two, James tilted his head at them curiously.

"Uh, Lily dear, Moony, you do know this could be done twice as fast with magic right?" in unison, Lily and Remus turned to him. There was a moment of silence as they processed that information, then the two both ended up facepalming and groaning into their hand. Pulling out their wands, Remus and Lily made quick work of the dinner, leaving Harry and James to their own devices. Which was, apparently, Harry giggling as James played peek-a-boo with funny faces in the living room. Hearing the bubbling laughter, Remus smiled as he leant against the counter.

"James turned out to be a good dad after all, huh?" Lily smiled back, blowing a strand of red hair out of her face.

"He has his moments." She turned and waved her wand again, making vinegar, olive oil, and herbs fly out of a cabinet. With another wave, the ingredients started to mix together, creating the salad dressing. Remus shrugged as he manipulated the knife, making it cut a slab of pork into slices and sprinkle salt and pepper over the chops.

"Who would've thought that the Prongs from his Hogwarts days would turn out to be this responsible, huh?" Lily chuckled and nodded.

"I know I didn't." she said, pulling out several potatoes from the fridge and pulling out a potato peeler. With a swish, it came to life and started on the first potato. Turning her attention away from the potatoes, Lily leaned next to Remus, a sly glint in her eye.

"You know who else would make a good father?" Remus raised an eyebrow. "Well, here's a hint; how's Sirius doing?" hearing that, and seeing the look in Lily's eye, Remus blushed and leaned away from the smirking witch.

"N-nothing, why would you ask?" Lily grinned even wider and leaned forward.

"No reason, just that I know you and Sirius have been progressing well in your relationship." Lily said, wiggling her eyebrows. Remus blushed suddenly, darting his eyes away in embarrassment.

"W-we have been progressing, b-but that doesn't mean we're looking for this kind of-" Remus's nervous stammering was cut off by Lily's excited squeal as she hopped around, waving her arms in an uncharacteristic way.

"I KNEW IT! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" Lily bounced over and took Remus' hands in her own, her green eyes shining brightly. As she leaned forward, forcing Remus to bend away awkwardly.

"So?! So?! When's the wedding? How many werewolf babies are there gonna be? What's the color theme for the wedding? Should- " Remus cut Lily off, blushing furiously as he freed his hands and used them to cover his now tomato red face.

"LILY! Sirius and I aren't looking for that right now!" Remus exclaimed. "We're not at that stage in our relationship yet!" Lily pouted, but soon brightened up.

"Does that mean you _want_ to reach that stage in your relationship? Eh Moony?" Lily pressed, clasping her hands together and awwing as Remus looked down.

"W-well, maybe someday, if all goes well." Remus' blush grew even darker. "I mean, I hope someday we might get to that stage, but, I mean, ifallgoeswellIwouldliketohaveafamilywithSiriussomeday," Remus stammered out quickly, hoping Lily didn't catch that. But she did (curse her sharp ears!) and she squealed even louder than last time. Before she could resume her fangirling though, the two heard the doorbell ring loudly. Shortly after, the ringing was followed by James' shout of "I'll go get it!" and the sounds of enthusiastic greeting. Lily smirked mischievously and wiggled her eyebrows again.

"Sirius is here~" She sang, before turning around and practically skipping out of the kitchen. Left alone to his thoughts, Remus slid to the floor, promptly pulling his knees up to his chest and screaming internally.

~with James and Harry~

"I'll get it!" James shouted. He had heard his wife squealing in the kitchen, and he didn't want to disturb the two doing who-knows-what. (James felt a sudden chill down his back thinking about the things his surprisingly evil wife could be squealing over) shaking those slightly traumatic thoughts out of his head, James opened the door and laughed in delight.

"Padfoot! Wormtail! How have you been?" Sirius grinned brightly and gave him a hug, stepping aside for Pettigrew to do the same.

"I've been great, Prongs," Peter spoke up.

"Me too!" Sirius ruffled Peter's hair and stepped inside. The moment he stepped foot inside the Potter household, his legs were assaulted by a flash of brown.

"Uncwle Pa'foot!" Harry squealed, hugging his legs tight. Sirius laughed in delight as he scooped Harry up, making the toddler squeal.

"My little Prongslet! How's my little godson been doing, hm? Jily been treating you well?" Harry squealed once again, and waved his arms around, smiling at Sirius.

"Good!" Sirius grinned again and held him out to Peter.

"Look at him Wormtail! Look at how little Harry's grown!" Peter smiled, patting Harry's head.

"Hello Harry, it's good to see you again." Peter said softly. Harry blinked, and smiled widely, patting Peter back.

"Wormtwail!" James chuckled at Harry's cry, closing the door.

"Remus already arrived. He and Lily are in the kitchen preparing food for us now." just as he said that, Lily came around the corner. She brightened when she saw Sirius and Peter, and rushed forward to give both of them a hug.

"Sirius! Peter! How wonderful to see you again!" Lily grinned, leaning over and kissing the forehead of the toddler in Sirius's arms. Harry giggled, clumsily kissing her cheek in return loudly.

"Mama! Love you!" Lily giggled back and poked his nose.

"I love you too Harry." Lily straightened up after watching his face scrunch, and faced Sirius with a mischievous glint in her bright green eyes.

"On a side note Sirius, Remus is in the kitchen right now. Perhaps you should check up on him hm? Give Harry to me, though." Lily extended her arms and scooped Harry up happily. Settling the toddler in her arms, she made a shooing motion with her free hand at Sirius, who was standing awkwardly. "What are you still doing here? Go check on your boyfriend! Shoo now, shoo!" Sirius backed up a step and rubbed his head awkwardly.

"Well, okay then. I'll be back in a sec." He turned and walked into the kitchen. Behind Sirius, Lily turned to James and Peter with an evil expression on her face, Harry giggling in her arms.

"Well then, let's stay out of the kitchen, shall we? Let Sirius and Remus have their little talk." James and Peter eeped fearfully and clung to each other. Out of the side of his mouth, Peter whispered to James.

"I thought she was your wife?" James glanced back at Peter, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, she is. What about it?" In front of the cowering duo, Lily placed her free hand on her hip and grinned eerily.

"Well? _Shall_ _we_ , James, Peter?" the two squeaked, Peter trying to hide behind James and James trying to hide behind the cabinet.

"Y-yes ma'am!" Lily smiled pleasantly, the eerie aura around her suddenly dissipating.

"Wonderful!" She extended her hand to Harry, and beamed when he clumsily grabbed her fingers. "Now then, let's get the board games out!" having said her piece, she swept down the hallway, leaving James and Peter shivering in the hallway. After another second of tense silence, James slowly straightened his legs and stood up, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

"Whew," he sighed and relaxed his shoulders "I'm glad that's over." behind him, Pettigrew sat against the wall and sighed.

"I remember why I was scared of her now." James looked over his shoulder sheepishly.

"Well, Lily is Lily. She's never changed." Pettigrew laughed.

"I suppose that's why you fell in love with her, huh?" James smiled and extended a hand to Peter, helping him up and setting off towards the living room.

"Yeah. I suppose it part of why I did." Peter followed James down the hallway, but when he entered the living room and sat down next to Lily, he hesitated in the doorway. He watched James kiss Lily on the forehead and select a character, setting it on the start panel of the Monopoly board and cooing at Harry, who was crawling around on the carpet. Peter spun around and leaned against the wall, not being able to bear the homely scene for a moment more. He slid down to his feet once again, and held his head in his hands as he listened to their laughter.

"It had to happen… it would have happened either way," Peter shook silently, his eyes wide and dilated as a thousand different emotions flashed through him. Guilt, anger, fear, denial. The emotions rampaged inside him, until something else seemed to appear in his mind. Peter stopped moving, his breath coming in pants. He bit his lip, his hands digging into his head.

"There was no other choice." he said to himself. "I want to live… I _want_ to live." shaking his head, Pettigrew got up and walked into the living room. James looked up from playing with Harry at the sound of Peter's footsteps.

"Wormtail!" he exclaimed cheerfully. Harry looked up at Peter and made happy gurgling sounds, flailing his arms a little. Peter smiled, a barely perceptible quiver at the corners of his mouth, before he sat down beside James and hugged Harry to his chest. Lily smiled, sitting on the opposite end of the table with a handful of paper money. She set down her money and scooped up a few game pieces, making them jingle as they shook them around and offered them to Peter.

"Okay, Peter. We're playing Monopoly, so choose your favorite from this pile. James and I already chose because first come first serve, so you get to choose between a tissue box," Lily used the pointer finger of her free hand to gesture at one of the silhouettes, "a tube of toothpaste," she pointed at a silver figurine of a tube of toothpaste, "and a shower cap." she rattled them around again, before looking up and smiling at Peter. "So, those are your options! Which one do you want?" Peter frowned and stroked his chin, contemplating the choices in front of him.

"Hm..." eventually, he extended his hand and plucked out one of the silver figures. "I'll take the tissue box." Lily nodded approvingly and spilled the other statues onto the board.

"We should be able to start, then. Who's going first?" Just as she finished her sentence, another voice rang out.

"Oh? What are we playing?" James turned around to see Sirius and Remus at the door to the living room.

"Padfoot! Moony! Excellent timing, the two of you can join us in our board games!" he said with a flourish of his hand at the board. Sirius smirked and plonked himself down next to baby Harry, and shuffled over to make room for Remus, who was nudged slightly by Lily as he took his seat next to her. When he looked over at the red haired wizard, Lily wiggled her eyebrows at him, smirking when Remus blushed slightly and looked away.

"Well then, what are we playing?" Sirius said, rubbing his hand together excitedly. James grinned at him.

"Monopoly!" he said happily, gesturing to the silver figurines on the board. Hearing his father's exclamation, Harry looked up from his toy. The toddler's face broke out into a happy grin upon seeing Sirius, and he clumsily got up and toddled to the man, hugging his leg.

"Uncwle Padfoot!" Harry squeezed the leg of his uncle, then released it and sat on his butt, patting Sirius' thigh. Sirius chuckled and pet Harry's head lifting him into his lap gently.

"Up we go!" when he had settled the slightly squirming toddler into his lap, Sirius inspected the pieces on the board, picking up each one and turning it over before setting it back down. "Hmm..." he closely inspected the toothpaste and bath cap, before stroking his chin contemplatively. Remus rolled his eyes beside him, frustrated with Sirius' lack of action.

"Just choose Sirius, come on!" Sirius pouted at him, his eyebrows furrowed.

"But Remuuuuuus, I have to choose the lucky one so I can destroy James~" James uffed proudly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ha! Too bad for you, Sirius, I already chose the lucky one!" Sirius gasped and put a hand on his chest dramatically.

"No! Whatever shall I do?" suddenly recovering, Sirius went back to inspecting the two figurines.

"Well, whatever. I'll just choose from the remaining ones." Sirius dramatically covered his eyes and picked a the bath cap figurine. He uncovered his eyes and looked at the statue in his hands. "Oh cool!" He promptly placed the silver bath cap onto Harry's head, catching the statue when it fell as Harry looked up and tried to see what was on his head. Remus huffed a laugh and picked up the toothpaste figurine.

"Let's just start already." the werewolf smirked, a mischievous glint sparking to life in his eyes. "I'm going to slaughter you all," Lily smirked back, a competitive aura flaring to life around the red haired wizard.

"Oh we're going to have to see about that." the two grinned at each other, their competitive aura's clashing together. Sirius turned Harry to face his chest, before jumping into the fray fiercely.

"Uh, no. the victor here will be me, I am certain."

Before the tension could escalate, James clapped his hands loudly, making Lily, Sirius and Remus stop their glare-smiling.

"Let's get started before it hits midnight!" the three, acknowledging his point, took their seats. When everyone had readjusted themselves, Peter hesitantly raised a hand.

"Um, who's going first?" James snapped his fingers. "I hadn't thought of that! Why don't we go in a clockwise order, starting from Peter because he asked the question?" the people around the table nodded, seeing the logic. Sirius gestured at Peter.

"Come on then Wormtail, let's get started!" Peter nodded silently and took the dice, throwing it across the board. He moved his piece… four squares. Lily smiled at him and took the dice, rolling it around in her hand before throwing. In that manner, the Marauders (plus Lily), continued their game of Monopoly until a beeping sound came from the kitchen, startling Peter enough that he dropped the dice. Lily scrambled up from her seat.

"Remus! The chicken is ready now!" Remus snapped his fingers.

"I forgot! The chicken!" the two of them glanced at the kitchen, then at their game of Monopoly, then at the kitchen again. James waved a hand lazily, sighing.

"You might as well go. I mean," he gestured at the board, which was littered with tiny houses and scattered cards. "The two of you pretty much crushed me and Padfoot, and Wormtail's almost bankrupt. Might as well call it a tie and we can eat." Sirius pouted, sulking at his loss.

"I wasn't crushed. I could have won." he huffed grumpily. Remus looked at Lily and shrugged.

"Might as well, we can just have another competition later." with that, the two hurried to the kitchen to plate the food, while James, Sirius and Peter cleaned up the game of Monopoly.

\- timeskip brought to you by the delicious aroma of Lily's chicken -

"So," James started as he cleared away dishes. "Can we see what these packages are now?" Sirius looked at Remus, who glanced at Peter and nodded.

"Go ahead, James." James grinned excitedly and grabbed the first package, which happened to be Remus's.

"Awesome!" he tore the wrapping like a little kid, practically bouncing in his seat in excitement. Lily smiled and put her face in her hand, used to James's contagious excitement. As the brown wrapping was torn away, the blue cover of a book was slowly revealed in all its glory, exposing a wreath curling around the book, and a tree stump at the bottom. 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' was printed in black letters across the cover. When he saw the title, James's grin grew even wider, and he waved the book at Lily excitedly.

"Lily! It's The Tales of Beedle the Bard! We can read this to Harry for bedtime stories!" Lily grimaced, and took the book in her hands, flipping through the pages.

"Isn't it a little gruesome, though?" Remus and waved a hand dismissively.

"It's perfectly safe, don't worry." Sirius nodded.

"Yeah! I remember my parents read that book to me at bedtime too." James said, and Lily brushed a strand of hair out of her face and smiled at them.

"Well, if you say so." she turned towards Remus. "Thank you for the wonderful present, Remus." James, increasingly impatient and curious, clapped his hands.

"Now that that's sorted, lets open the rest of the presents!" Peter leaned forward and picked up his package.

"Can you open mine first, James?" James took the package.

"Sure! Let's do this!" James, more carefully this time, unraveled the string holding it together, and revealed a small wooden box. Glancing furtively at Peter, (was there going to be snakes or something?) James opened the wooden box slowly.

"What's this Wormtail?" James took out the piece of parchment and held it up to the light, looking at the strange marks. Peter nervously took it from him and spread it out on the table, smoothing the paper.

"I found this at a magic shop." he pointed to the circle in the middle, surrounded by runes and shapes. "The guy selling this to me said that it was a protection charm." James leaned over, squinting at the shapes and poking at it.

"I've never seen this before, but it looks cool!" Lily picked up the paper and inspected it.

"I think that I've heard of it before. If you stick it on something made of metal, like a doorknob, it makes a protective shield." James oohed and held it out to Harry, who tried to grab it and put it in his mouth.

"Look Harry! It's a protective thingamajig!" Harry gurgled happily and James grinned at Peter.

"Thanks a lot, Wormtail. This sounds really helpful!" for a second, a dark look crossed Peter's eyes, but he smiled and waved his hand.

"It was nothing, James, Lily. I have to make an effort as your friend, after all" Lily laid a hand on his shoulder, and Peter hurriedly tried to cover up his flinch.

"You're already doing more than enough for us, Peter." He smiled, but looked away quickly, clearing his throat.

"Thanks, Lily. But, shouldn't we move on to Sirius's present?" Sirius grinned excitedly, grabbing his present, which was wrapped in red and yellow Gryffindor wrapping, Lily noticed. He leaned back in his seat and aimed the package at James, who quickly put his hands in front of his body in a ready position.

"Think fast, James." he threw his gift in perfect arc toward James, who caught it neatly and leaned over to give him a high five. The two shared a grin before James peeled the wrapping paper off the strangely shaped gift. When he had peeled all the layer off except one, James glanced over at Sirius suspiciously, and at his cocky grin, looked over to Remus as insurance. Gingerly, James peeled off the last layer, and gasped.

"Awesome!" he picked up the pair of fuzzy reindeer antlers and beamed at Sirius, then Lily. "it this for Harry?" Sirius plucked the antlers out of James's hands.

"Yep." he said, popping the p. Scooping up Harry from his baby seat, Sirius carefully put the antlers onto his head, smiling gently at the confused toddler that reached up to his head.

"Uncwel Padfoo'?" Harry felt around his head before touching the antler, and was about to pull them off when Sirius stopped him.

"Ah, ah, ah Prongslet. Keep them on for just a while, okay?" Harry tried to pull them off one more time, then gave up and got off Sirius's lap, walking to James and poking him.

"Da?" James awed and knelt on the floor.

"Whats up Harry?" Harry giggled and pointed up with his finger.

"Up! Up!" James saluted him.

"Up it is!" he dramatically scooped Harry up, careful not to jostle the reindeer antlers, and spun him in a circle. Harry squealed and clung on to his father's arms, giggling up a storm. As he spun, James laughed maniacally and set Harry onto his shoulder. Suddenly stopping James stood to attention. "Where to, O captain my captain?" Harry somehow managed to point a chubby finger in a random direction, and James tried to look at him in disbelief.

"To the wall?" Harry giggled some more, still calming down, and pointed towards the living room. James grinned and tightened his hold on Harry's legs. "Righto then! To adventure!" the two rushed off, James cackling in delight and Harry squealing and laughing as he hung on to James's head. Lily sighed and got up, starting after them. She turned back towards Sirius Remus, and Pettigrew.

"Let's move this to the living room, then." As he stood up, Sirius suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Hey Lily!" he elbowed Remus slightly, making him glare at Sirius. "Remember that game of Monopoly you guys didn't finish?" at the two's nod, he continued. "Well, how about we have a drawing competition? I know the both of you like to draw, so how about it?" Lily glanced at Remus, and shrugged her shoulders, crossing her arms.

"Well, I'm fine with it." Remus shrugged and took Sirius's hand.

"I was just in the mood for drawing anyway." Lily grinned and turned towards the stairwell. Peter hurried forwards and met her at the entrance.

"I'll help you with the easels!" Lily smiled at him as they climbed the stairs.

"Thank you, Peter. The easels are just over here."

When Lily and Peter walked back into the room, the two of them found James with Harry still on his shoulders and Sirius chasing around the living room, while Remus sat on the couch with his head in his hands.

"What is going on here?" Lily handed her easel to Peter, who scurried into the middle of the living room, avoiding the rampaging wizards, and started setting them up. James abruptly froze at the sound of his wife's voice, making Sirius crash into him and almost knock them both over, before turning to face Lily.

"Oh hey, Lily!" suddenly noticing the two easels in the center of the room, James gestured with his thumb towards them, boosting Harry up before he fell of his shoulders. "What's with the easels?" Remus had gotten up and was dragging a stool over while Peter set out the paper and pencils. Lily walked over and helped them out, setting out a piece of paper on one of the easels and moving to the other one.

"Remus and I decided to have a drawing competition to settle our earlier match," she explained. James nodded and took Harry off his shoulders, settling them onto the couch.

"Makes sense, both you and Remus like to draw." As Lily and Remus settled themselves onto the stools, Peter plopped down and joined James while Sirius settled himself by Remus, pulling along a random rollie chair. Peter held up his wristwatch and showed them the time.

"Do you need a time limit?" Lily and Remus looked at each other, then shook their heads.

"It'll only take about thirty minutes, anyway." Peter nodded, and sank back into the fluffy couch.

-timeskip brought to you by Harry's cute reindeer antlers-

"Are you done yet?" Sirius groaned, throwing his head back against and rocking to and fro. Remus looked up from his drawing, his pencil tip hovering above the paper.

"Almost, Padfoot. Stop being so impatient now." James sighed, kicking his feet back and forth.

"Lilyyy~ please tell me you're done." Lily didn't look up, still sketching out designs.

"Nope." she said, popping the p. Peter shrugged, bouncing Harry on his knee as the toddler laughed happily.

"Art takes time." Having said his piece, he refocused on Harry, smiling a tentative smile as the small child looked up at his uncle with the innocent love of a child. Peter tickled his nose, savoring his precious moments with the loveable toddler. Next to him, James suddenly kicked his legs out and sat up, beckoning to Sirius with a finger.

"Hey Padfoot, wanna play chopsticks?" Sirius glanced at Remus, then shrugged, scooting over on the rolly chair.

"Why not? It'll pass the time," James nodded and extended his hands, his pointer fingers out.

"Who's going first?" Sirius did the same, and tapped James' right pointer finger with his own.

"Your move." before James could do anything though, Lily finished her stroke of paint and leaned back, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"Done!" James looked up, excited.

"Really?" Lily nodded, and he scrambled up to look, Sirius behind him. The two scurried around the easel, but was blocked by Lily.

"No looking until Remus finishes." she said, shaking her head sternly. The wizards deflated slightly and looked over at Remus.

"Just finishing up on some details." he said, his pencil moving across the paper. With a few more strokes, Remus sat up and leaned away from his sketch, scrutinizing it. "Hmm… done." Sirius and James cheered and hopped onto the couch, squeezing in next to Peter (where did the rolly chair go? Peter wondered).

"Show us! Show us!" they chanted. Even Peter turned Harry so he could see the drawings. Remus looked at Lily and bowed a little.

"Ladies first." Lily grinned evilly and turned her easel around with a flourish, smirking at the Marauder's collective gasp. Sirius and James of joy, Remus of shock, and Peter of horror. Peter quickly covered Harry's eyes before the poor child could get permanently scarred, and James covered his mouth with his hands in delight.

"Lily my beautiful flower, how did you make this wonderful piece of art?" Lily crossed her arms, the very picture of smug amusement.

"I heard tales of the wonder of unicorn blood, and I knew the old Voldemort wouldn't hesitate to exploit it if he had the chance. So I took the initiative and drew this ahead of time." she gestured to her painting of Voldemort wearing a unicorn cap in a naked apron with fake hooves on his hands, the words you are what you eat emblazoned in bold black on the painting.

Sirius was howling in laughter on the couch, tears gathering on his eyes as he clutched his stomach. Remus was trying not to laugh on his stool, his lips pressed together as his eyes twinkled in amusement, while Peter quivered on the couch, stuck between horror and amusement. He was terrified that somehow Voldemort would find out about this, and his wrath would be brought down hard upon anyone who dared to look at the thing. But on the other hand… Peter paled slightly when he found his lips twitching upwards in a quivering smile. Seeing his cruel master displayed in such a vulgar way had him struggling not to grin. Instinctively, his hands covered Harry's eyes tighter, trying to block out all view of the surprisingly promiscuous painting. The poor child did not need to be scarred at his age. With some difficulty, Sirius stopped laughing and wiped the tears from his eyes. With a final chuckle, he turned to Remus and smiled encouragingly.

"Woo… that was a good laugh. Now I'm even more excited to see yours, Moony." Remus chuckled gestured to Lily's painting.

"I'm afraid that mine isn't anything like Lily's. It's more of a sentimental one." Lily oohed and got up from her stool, seating herself on the floor by James' feet and taking Harry from Peter, who was still covering his eyes. She smiled guiltily at him, and Peter returned the smile with a reassuring one, before turning back to Remus.

"I like sentimental ones, Remus. Show us!" Remus shrugged and flipped the easel so that it face the people on the couch. Lily gasped in wonder and looked down at Harry, then looked up again. "It's beautiful, Remus." he grinned proudly.

"I'm guessing that you like the picture, then?" Lily nodded enthusiastically and pinched James' leg, making him yelp and wince.

"It looks just like you!" James grinned and rubbed his leg. He gave Remus a thumbs up.

"It looks great, Remus." Sirius grinned and got up, walking over to Remus and placing a kiss on his forehead.

"You did a really great job." Remus blushed at the praise.

"Thanks, Sirius," Remus looked back at his sketch. It was a pencil drawing of little Harry as he had been an hour ago, laughing happily on James' shoulders as he ran around, one tiny hand clutching the reindeer antlers. On the couch, Peter cleared his throat awkwardly.

"How about we get started, huh?" Lily nodded in agreement.

"Alright then. All who vote for my painting, raise your hand," everybody in the room raised their hand, even Remus, who knew when he had been outclassed. Lily looked around, surprised, but shook her head with a smile. "Thank you, but I'm afraid that the I'm handing the win over to Remus instead. That sketch was way better than my painting to me." she leaned into the group, and whispered conspiratorially. "Plus, I used magic for the colors. Remus hand drew the entire thing." Remus blinked, then shook his head in disbelief.

"Well, if you like my drawing that much, you can have it, Lily." Lily's eyes widened, and she hugged Remus gratefully.

"Thank you so much, Remus." he laughed and waved it off.

"It was nothing." Sirius raised his hand, and Lily turned to him curiously.

"Since it seems you artists are donating now, would you care to give your painting to me so I can hang it on the wall of my entryway?" he asked, snickering slightly. Lily stared in disbelief for a second, then started laughing. James and Remus joined in soon after, and soon the whole room was filled with laughter.

-timeskip brought to you by Voldemort's bright pink unicorn outfit-

"Well, Wormtail and I should get going," Sirius said, getting up with a grunt. The adults had continued chatting and having fun until the clock struck seven. Reluctantly, Peter stood up and waved goodbye to Harry, who was sitting in Lily's lap. Remus stood up as well, smiling at Lily.

"I should start heading back as well." With a sigh, James got up and scratched his head.

"Well, it would be rude of me not to walk you guys to the gate." When Lily made to stand up as well, he waved her off. "No, Lily. I can handle this. Why don't you just keep Harry company?" Lily nodded.

"Well alright then." James turned towards Remus and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks Lily. Come on guys, let's get going." as their steps faded away, Lily grinned at Harry and bounced him on her knee a little.

"Hey Harry, did you have fun seeing your uncles?" Harry giggled and grabbed a lock of her red hair, slightly tugging on it.

"Mama! Buh, peh." Lily ruffled his hair affectionately and leaned back farther against the couch, chuckling. At that moment, James entered the living room.

"What're you laughing at?" Lily looked up at him and waved her hand.

"Oh, nothing," James shook his head and took a seat next to Lily on the couch. He took out his wand and waved it, creating a rainbow of sparks.

He grinned when Harry squealed and reached out to touch the sparks, falling out of Lily's lap. Lily smiled and exasperated smile, but let Harry play with the sparks. To avoid him falling off the couch, Lily set Harry on the ground gently, and smiled as he toddled after the trail of sparks left by James' wand. She leaned back and watched him play, but soon her smile turned into a frown. She sighed and shook her head, but she couldn't take her mind off her suddenly dark thoughts. James noticed and turned to her, still being careful to maintain his colorful sparks.

"What's wrong, love?" Lily stayed silent for a moment, then sighed.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking of the future." James waited, but when Lily didn't clarify, he pressed on.

"Like…?" he asked. Lily absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair on her finger.

"Like… how long until this is all over? I don't know if we can take care of Harry properly like this, with Voldemort breathing over our shoulders every day." she breathed shakily, and continued. "There's no guarantee that we'll even _survive_ , James. I don't want to even think about leaving Harry all alone in this dangerous time. What if he gets hurt and it's _our fault?_ What if-" James cut her off, firmly putting a hand on her shoulder.

" _Lily._ We'll survive. For everybody that we know and love. Have faith in them. Heck, at least have some faith in _Wormtail_ , Lily. I know that he would never betray us." Seeing Lily's nod, James put on a small smile and gestured at Harry. "Plus, who knows how Harry would turn out without our awesome parenting. Worse off, that's for sure." Lily laughed a little.

"Knowing _you_ , you would probably buy him his first broom as soon as he's able to form comprehensive sentences." James smiled guiltily.

"Was I that obvious?" Lily raised an eyebrow and nodded. He glanced over at Harry.

"Still, I can't wait to see him on a broom. My very own son, playing on a Quidditch field. Just like his father." Lily punched him lightly in the arm.

"Don't forget his studies. If Harry is going anywhere _near_ that dumb game, he better have a good education prior to flying." James shrugged.

"Eh. I was never the best student. That fell on you and the Ravenclaws." Lily laughed.

"If you had actually tried, I'm sure you could have done pretty well." James smirked, a glint in his eyes.

"I'm counting on Harry to inherit your intelligence and my skills on the broom, so he can be unstoppable." Lily snorted.

"Don't you teach him any of that stuff you pulled back in school, you hear?" James waved his wand dismissively.

"Yes ma'am," he sighed and looked at Harry affectionately. "Though don't grow up too soon, Harry. Feel free to be my son a while longer." Lily scooted over and leaned into him.

"You forget, James. No matter what, Harry will always be our little boy." James looped an arm around Lily's shoulder as Harry grew bored of his sparks and toddled over. Scooping him up, James planted a kiss on his forehead.

"You got that right, Lily." the three Potter's moment lasted a second longer, but the moment was disrupted as Harry suddenly burst into tears. Lily leaned over and put a hand on his cheek.

"Harry? What's wro-" a crash sounded from the entryway, and evil laughter echoed throughout the house. James bolted up and shoved Harry into Lily's arms, fear and determination battling in his expression.

"Run Lily, I'll hold him off!" Immediately after, James ran to the hallway, leaving Lily to dash up the stairs into the nursery. Neither of them realized that they had left their wands behind. James on the couch where he had been sitting, and Lily's in the kitchen where she had used it to clean. Skidding into the hall, James took a defensive stance in front of the dark figure at his door, defiance etched into his body. Voldemort laughed, his voice sending chills down his spine.

"A brave effort. But how will you hold me off without you wand?" James growled, but he paled as he searched himself for his wand. Before he could even move or say anything, Voldemort raised his wand. "Avada KEDAVRA!"

A bolt of green light shot out from his wand and hit James right in the chest. Like a puppet cut from its strings, James collapsed onto the floor. The light in his eyes, which had once been so full of life and love, had faded to a dull, _dead_ , brown. His glasses lay askew on his face, shaken out of their perch on his nose. Voldemort stepped over the corpse of James Potter and ascended the stairs, smirking triumphantly. As he made his way up the stairs, his cloak accidentally swept the drawing of Harry and James from the mantel onto the steps. Their faces scrunched up and the pencil and charcoal marks smeared under Voldemort's foot as he mercilessly stepped on the drawing. A rip sounded through the air, the picture tearing in half and James and Harry's smiling face splitting into two.

Voldemort reached the second floor and banged open the first door he saw. It was the master bedroom, once filled with an aura of content and happiness. He made an irritated noise, and threw open the second door down the hallway. It was the bathroom James had tried to hide in this morning, the sound of his laughter resounding through the house. Proceeding to the last door, Voldemort brought up his foot and kicked it down. He grinned in smug triumph as Lily whirled around from where she stood by the cradle and flung herself in front of her baby, fear and fierce determination on her face. The very same expression James had worn before Voldemort had killed him. He snorted at the reminder, and stepped forward. Lily tried to back up a step, but the cradle blocked her way. Seeing Harry looking at her, Lily's expression hardened. She turned to Voldemort.

"What did you do to Peter?" Voldemort laughed a high laugh.

"Your friend came to me of his own free will. He has betrayed you, Potter." Lily's eyes went wide, and she screamed back.

"Shut up, you coward! Peter's our friend! He would never do that." Voldemort's eyes narrowed and he hissed at her.

"Stand aside, you silly girl," he took another step forward, but Lily shook her head.

"Please, not Harry, not Harry, take me, but don't kill Harry!" Voldemort growled, annoyed.

"Stand aside!" Lily lowered her head and braced herself. She took one last look at Harry and smiled, her eyes shining with the love she hadn't had time to express.

'Please know, Harry. Your father and I will always love you.' Voldemort raised his wand as her eyes scrunched tight.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" The forbidden magic shook the house, and Lily's limp body fell to the floor. Her green eyes stared at nothing, and she didn't react as Voldemort approached Harry's cradle. A second later, Harry, having assumed his parent had simply been playing with him, wrinkled his forehead. Something was wrong with this game. Why was his mommy lying on the floor like that? Who was this man in front of him? He stared at Voldemort as he bared his teeth in laughter.

"Potter, the supposed child who shall defeat Lord Voldemort - You shall die." Voldemort's face twisted into one of savage triumph, and he raised his wand for the third-and last time he ever would for a long, long time. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" Harry screamed as the curse hit him. All of a sudden, a green bubble enveloped him, and shot the curse back towards its caster. Voldemort was hit by the full force of the killing curse, and dissolved with a scream of agony. A piece of his soul left and latched itself onto Harry, who was laying there with tears streaking down his face. On his forehead, a lightning bolt had etched itself deep into the flesh, red and raw and bleeding. Harry Potter, then still just a year old, lay there in his cot and cried for the death of his parents.

Sirius cradled a sleeping Harry in his arms as he stepped out of the destroyed house of his old friend. He stared down at the child in his arms with tears in his eyes. Harry was far too young to have suffered through the murder of both James and Lily. His sadness turned to rage as eh thought about Peter. The slimy rat had betrayed his closest friends and scurried to Voldemort just to live. Furious, Sirius was about to get on his motorcycle and drive off, but a looming figure emerging from the darkness made him pause. Sirius tensed, but relaxed as the darkness parted and revealed Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper. He nodded tiredly at him.

"Good evening, Hagrid." Hagrid sniffled and wiped his tears with his sleeve. The half-giant had been crying ever since he heard the news. He choked back his tears and gave Sirius a watery smile.

"G-good evening Sirius." he saw the sleeping bundle in Sirius' arms, and his eyes widened. "Sirius. Is-is that-?" Sirius nodded somberly.

"Harry. I found him crying in the nursery and I've decided to raise him by myself." Hagrid shook his head sadly.

"That's what I came here for." at Sirius' confused look, Hagrid sighed and gestured to Harry.

"Ya see, Sirius, Dumbledore has ordered me ter escort Harry to his muggle rel'tives." Sirius shook his head and cradled Harry closer.

"There's no need, Hagrid. I can take care of Harry. I'm his godfather. Give him to me, Hagrid." Hagrid frowned and shook his head sadly.

"'M afraid I can't, Sirius. Dumbledore's orders." Sirius' shoulders drooped and he sighed, getting off the bike.

"Alright. At least take my bike, though." Sirius walked towards Hagrid and carefully set Harry in his arms. Hagrid, now over his tears, gave one last sniff and nodded solemnly. He looked at the sleeping child in his arms, and looked back up at Sirius.

"I promise ye tha' Harry will be taken good care o', Sirius" Sirius nodded back and stood to the side as Hagrid mounted his magical motorcycle. As the half-giant and the baby soared off, Sirius waved goodbye. When the rumbling of the motorcycles had at last faded from his hearing, the wistful expression on Sirius' face turned dark, and he turned his back on the Potter mansion. A loud crack was heard, and Sirius Black went to seek revenge.

As he drove the motorcycle, Hagrid looked down at the sleeping bundle in his arms with pity on his face.

"You poor soul." he murmured, petting Harry's head through the blanket. "You're far too young for this kind of tragedy." Hagrid looked up just in time to dodge a flock of birds, and quickly glanced down to make sure Harry hadn't woken up. He breathed a sigh of relief, and refocused on the sky. As he flew over England, Hagrid glanced down at the celebrating wizard community and smiled a little. They were finally free from You-Know-Who. For a few more hours, Hagrid flew Sirius' motorbike across England. There was a brief period when Harry woke up, but the child had fallen back asleep by the time Hagrid saw the lights of his destination. As he brought the motorcycle down to land, Hagrid saw the faces of the headmaster and the deputy headmistress looking towards his headlights, and he cradled Harry closer.

'You'll be better off here, Harry.' the motorcycle rumbled to a stop.

Harry bolted up from bed, his heart pounding rapidly against his chest. He looked around wildly, reorienting himself after his dream. Slowly calming down, he sighed and ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"I need a glass of water." he muttered to himself. He looked over to the other side of the room, half expecting Ron to be snoring away in the opposite bed. When Harry found the bed empty, however, he raised an eyebrow, and went downstairs to the Burrow's kitchen. "There he is." Harry muttered as he neared the bottom of the steps. Downstairs, Ron and Hermione were deep in conversation. That stopped, however, when the two of them saw Harry's expression. Ron stood up and approached Harry, worried for his friend.

"Hey mate, what's up?" Harry shrugged as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He snuck a glance at his still quivering hands, then waved off a concerned Ron.

"Nothing. I just came down for a glass of water." He made to walk to the kitchen, but Hermione beckoned him over.

"Why don't you just sit down and let Ron get you some water, Harry," Harry hesitated, but Hermione smiled and patted the couch next to her. Reluctantly, he sat down. Hermione pointedly glanced at Ron, and he nodded back, going into the kitchen. That done, Hermione focused her attention on the boy next to her, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" Harry nodded, not looking at her.

"I'm fine." Hermione frowned, unsatisfied.

"You know you can talk to us right? Ron and I both think of you as family." Harry looked at her, and Hermione's eyes widened when she saw tears in the corner of his eyes. She immediately enveloped Harry in a hug, and he clutched her sweater almost desperately as he tried to prevent the tears. It didn't work.

As he shook silently, Ron came back with a glass of water. When he saw that Hermione was hugging Harry his mouth fell open in shock, but one look at Harry's shaking figure was enough for Ron to nod at Hermione in understanding, set the glass of water down gently on the table, and envelop Harry in a hug from behind. Hermione smiled at him gratefully, and Ron smiled back. When Harry had finished letting out his emotions, they would ask him what had happened. But for now, they were fine with silently comforting him right here.


End file.
